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West Homer Students Celebrate First Potato Harvest

Aaron Selbig

Friday, October 19, 2012

Many months of hard work have finally paid off for students at West Homer Elementary School. A potato garden that was begun in the spring ended with a harvest that was enjoyed by the whole school Thursday afternoon.

The gymnasium at West Homer Elementary School was transformed Thursday afternoon – into a carnival-like atmosphere filled with squealing children and the fresh aroma of hot baked potatoes.

Four potato-serving stations set up around the room with West Homer students ready to top your potatoes with delicious accouterments.

Casey, Liam and Ridge are WAY too excited about their jobs

The options were cheese, sour cream and bacon bits, although sixth-grader Katarina Hakima decided to just stick with just butter on hers.

"They are really, really good," she said.

Katarina’s friend Kasidyah is also in the sixth grade. Kasidyah is no stranger to homegrown potatoes, having helped her mom in the family garden at home.

"This year we grew broccoli, potatoes, carrots ... and we tried growing raspberries but that didn't work out," she said.

West Homer girls enjoy their homegrown baked potatoes

The West Homer students ended up with 120 pound of potatoes in their first growing season.

The project was headed up by teacher Lyn Maslow, with help from a People’s Garden grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and many other members of the community.

Students from the Homer FLEX school helped build raised garden beds in front of the school and West Homer students did the rest – filling the beds with topsoil and manure, planting seeds, tending the garden all summer long and then finally, harvesting the potatoes earlier this month.

The students raise four types of potatoes – fingerlings, reds, superior whites and Blue Mollys.

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